My mule being of the utmost importance to the successful persecution of the expedition, I have resolved to spend at least some small portion of each day with her, from now until our departure. She has demonstrated her capacity for bearing and conveying my panniers, for standing quietly for grooming and body work, for generally obeying my commands and directions. Likewise, I have come to a basic understanding of her handling, her care, and the usage of her attending equipment. All of this knowledge will however want for employment should we lack that basic level of trust and camaraderie which will keep us working towards the same goal harmoniously. (more…)
Author Archive
Managing Expectations
Monday, April 27th, 2009Waterskins
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009My water gourds being deemed too fragile and canteens deemed too bulky, I decided some form of waterskin as the most effective means of transporting liquid. Thusly equipped I would be carrying only a few extra ounces of gear, and said gear would collapse or expand to take up exactly the amount of volume required to complete its assignment. (more…)
Sutter’s Fort Mountain Man Traders Faire
Sunday, April 19th, 2009I spent the weekend in Sacramento where I attended the above event to acquire some missing elements of my equipage. Purchased were the following items: (more…)
Evaluating Preparations
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Only 6 weeks remain until I pack my panniers for Oregon, where my expedition will begin. I’ve been grappling lately with my level of preparation–at times I feel pretty on top of things, other times woefully unprepared. It is generally difficult to assess my preparedness since what I am attempting is largely unexplored territory to me. I imagine the first week on the trail will reveal the extent of my readiness. Until then I can only lie in bed rehearsing a day on the trail ad nauseum. (more…)
Pemmican Production
Sunday, April 5th, 2009After much pondering and lively debate (internal or otherwise) I produced a 12lb batch of pemmican this weekend. The main contentious issue was storage. Do I make individual portions wrapped in wax paper? Do I put a day’s supply in tins? Do I follow the plains Indian’s example and pour 2 weeks worth into a rawhide bag and seal it with melted fat or beeswax? Yesterday I settled on a bit of a hybrid approach. (more…)
Mule Packing Trial
Sunday, March 29th, 2009It’s been a pretty productive week for ol’ Bronze. I attended a equine handling clinic taught by Dee Howe last weekend, which gave me more hands-on practice at recognizing and easing pain. She also let me practice loading some uncooperative horses into her trailer, which will no doubt be a valuable training for when Bootsie and I come across a ford or rickety bridge. (more…)
Equipment Weight and Volume
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009I just finished weighing the majority of my gear. Below is a spreadsheet of my projected PCT Equipment List. Right now it’s coming in at just under 170 lbs. This is encouraging since I’ve been told to limit Bootsie’s load to 150-175 lbs. This is squarely in that range, and will decline at about 8 or 9 lbs per day, meaning in 3 days we’re well below the 150 lb limit.
Storage Thoughts
Sunday, March 15th, 2009I picked up my panniers, as well as a sawbuck saddle, hobbles, manty, rope, scale and pack pad from Western Feed yesterday. I was very pleased to see that the oversize panniers were indeed quite large and my previous concerns about volume have been allayed. (more…)
Dried Beef Supplier
Friday, March 13th, 2009I am extremely pleased to announce that I have just received a shipment of 60 lbs of jerky from Tillamook Country Smoker!!! (more…)